Stamped Polymer Clay Bracelet

Be warned – I’ve had such great success with a few polymer clay charms that I will be bringing you a few different ideas in the coming weeks. It’s inexpensive (and on sale at Michael’s this week!), easy to work with, and really versatile.

My husband, while certain to miss Peyton Manning, is really excited that the Colts just signed Andrew Luck. He is a die-hard Colts fan. Which means that I am by association, also a Colts fan. (Unless he is being a jerk, then I tell him I love Drew Brees. Teehee.) So he enjoys when I have girly fan gear too.

This was a fun little bracelet I whipped up with my metal stamps. The letters are from my original basic set (a simple, industrial font seemed to be the best fit for football) and the horseshoe is from ImpressArt Metal Stamps. (If you’d like to read more about ImpressArt, I reviewed some of their stamps earlier this month.) If you’ve been struggling as a beginner with metal stamping, another medium you may want to try is clay – because if you goof it up, all you have to do is squish it and roll it back out again – and no hammer necessary!

What you’ll need:Polymer Clay – this is just a pinch out of the package of silver Sculpey clay I’ve been working withRoller and Wax PaperSmall clay cutterToothpick for making holesMetal stampsAcrylic paint, a fine paintbrush, and paper towelGloss GlazeCotton or hemp twineOptional crimp ends or end caps

Pinch off a bit of clay. The package come divided into four bricks, this was about 1/4 or 1/3 of one brick. roll it out to 1/4 inch thick.

I didn’t have the exact shape cutter that I wanted, so here is how I improvised.

I cut it square, and then rolled it out a little more so that it became more rectangular, and slightly rounded on the ends. You can use a toothpick to push your edges into place if anything looks uneven.

Then, I used my stamps to carefully press my design in.

Tadaa! Now, use a toothpick or something similar to make holes big enough to accommodate your twine. Then, bake your charm according to the package directions.

Once it cooled, I used a fine-tipped paintbrush and some blue acrylic paint to darken my impressions. I just used a damp paper towel to wipe away the excess.

Then, add a coat of gloss glaze to your charm to protect it, which will also give it a nice shine. You can find it in the clay aisle. Make sure the glaze doesn’t pool in your holes. If it does, clear it out with a toothpick.

Once the glaze has dried, you can assemble your bracelet. Cut off a few strands of coordinating twine. I sed two colors, and cut off about 8″ strands because I’m adding end caps. If you’re planning to tie this instead, be sure to make your strands longer.

I doubled them up, and threaded them through. If your hole is big enough, or if you’re only using one kind of twine, you could make a lark’s head knot here. But I didn’t have enough clearance to double up the twine – so I just threaded it through –

And made an overhand knot. Do this on each side.

Then, determine exactly how long you need your bracelet to be, and trim up the ends evenly.

I was using a standard end cap, so I need to add a dot of glue to the inside first. If you are using a crimp end cap, you probably won’t need to do this.

Then, just attach your clasp and you are ready to go!

What piece of fan gear would you like to make?I link up to these great parties!

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Comments

My husband loves it when I wear football things!! {anything sports related really!} I like that this is feminine enough with out loosing the football theme. Great job. I just happen to have some polymer clay laying around hmmmmmm…….

Adrianne, you're killing me! I have some polymer clay that I picked up on sale awhile back, but I swore that I wasn't going to start ANY new projects until I finish organizing and cleaning up my new craft room (and that's still going to take a few full days!)…but I may just have to break that promise to whip one of these out because they're just too cute and easy! Thanks for sharing!

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Hello, and welcome! I'm Adrianne, an artist, author, designer, and blogger in mid Michigan. I work from home, chase my two kids, and this once-city-girl is learning how to care for chickens and adjusting to life out in the country.
I have a compulsion for daily creativity... sometimes it's jewelry-making, paper crafting, metal stamping, mixing and baking, or giving new life to recycled items. But with 2 young kids, time is short! My goal here at Happy Hour Projects is to share projects and tips that you can do in an hour or less. The ideas you find here are designed to add a little creativity in your day, no matter how much (or how little) time you have!